1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a defrosting device for removing frost formed on an evaporator provided in a refrigeration cycle, and a refrigerator having the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
An evaporator provided in a refrigeration cycle decreases ambient temperature using cool air generated by the circulation of coolant flowing through a cooling tube. During the process, when there occurs a temperature difference from ambient air, a phenomenon of condensing and freezing moisture in the air on a surface of the cooling tube occurs.
A defrosting method using an electric heater has been used for a defrosting process for removing frost formed on an evaporator in the related art.
In recent years, a defrosting device using a heat pipe has been developed and contrived, and the related technologies include Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0469322, entitled “Evaporator.”
In a heat pipe type defrosting device, working fluid heated by a heating unit is configured to circulate a heat pipe, and heat emission is carried out on a cooling tube during the circulation process of working fluid. Due to the flow of the working fluid, as working fluid transfers heat to the cooling tube, temperature may gradually decrease, and thus defrosting may not be efficiently carried out for a lower cooling tube.
In particular, considering that frost is mostly formed at a front side of the evaporator due to the flow of cool air, increasing the temperature of the heat pipe may be an important issue in defrosting reliability.